Hey there!
This week's podcast is coming to you just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump plans to enter the White House Rose Garden and announce the details of a sweeping set of what he calls “reciprocal tariffs” on friends and foes. He’s calling the event “Liberation Day”.
But I wonder who is being liberated from whom.
Last week on Monday The Atlantic revealed that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth used a group chat on an unapproved commercial messaging app to share operational details of a military mission over Yemen with cabinet-level national security principals. The mission and the apparent security breach have been well-reported. What is apropos for this week’s episode is what the participants said about Europe and defense.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance texted, “I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
A few moments later Hegseth replied, “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's pathetic.”
European leaders did not expect Trump’s views on Europe, the European Union, and NATO to change from his first administration to his second, non-consecutive, term. Indeed the odium has seemingly become more intense, and the feeling is now mutual.
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s incoming Chancellor, said on election night on February 23, “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.”
Merz didn’t stop there. On March 18, the incoming chancellor won approval in the Bundestag to loosen the nation's strict debt rules for higher defense spending. And he’s not alone.
On February 25, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his government would increase military spending up to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027. On March 13, French President Emmanuel Macron set France on a path to boost defense spending on fears that the United States will abandon Europe to defend itself sooner, rather than later.
Collectively, Europe is responding with a level of ambition not seen since World War II. Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the European Council to implement proposals that would help EU member nations rapidly increase defense spending and acquire new capabilities across all the operational domains, including space. The initiative, called "Readiness 2030", aims to leverage a staggering €800 billion to rebuild Europe's defense industrial base, and seed the development of new sovereign technologies.
What caught my eye in the European Commission white paper justifying these proposals were two words placed side by side that space power advocates have long waited to see in official EU documentation: "space warfare."
Space businesses have also seen the writing on the wall, likely well ahead of Trump’s inauguration. There are a number of agreements and acquisitions plans that, when taken together, illustrate an attempt to seize upon higher European defense spending, the intention for attaining sovereign capabilities, and a desire to avoid trade barriers.
- March 3: Midland, Texas satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile revealed its plan to enter into a joint venture with the British multinational telecommunications company Vodafone, to establish a satellite manufacturing facility in Barcelona, Spain.
- March 10: SES, a Luxembourgish communications satellite operator, announced a strategic partnership with direct-to-device startup Lynk Global, that will see the Virginia-headquartered company establish a satellite manufacturing facility in Europe.
- March 11: The Long Beach, California satellite manufacturer and launch service provider, Rocket Lab USA, announced it was expanding its footprint into Europe by acquiring Mynaric, a German laser communications terminal provider.
And the desire for sovereign capability extends into launch as well. On March 30, the German launch services company Isar Aerospace tested its two-stage orbital launch vehicle Spectrum. It took off from snowy Andøya Spaceport in Norway, at 12:30pm CEST. Shortly after gaining a fair amount of altitude it returned and exploded in the icy waters near the launchpad. The company maintains that it will try again with “Spectrum #2”.
What’s in this episode
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is proposing to leverage €800 billion to rebuild Europe’s defense industrial base, and seed new defense capability development, including space capabilities. In the justification paper, even the words “space warfare” were used.
Who’s in this episode
Antje Nötzold - Lecturer and Research Associate at the Chair of International Politics at Chemnitz University of Technology
Lina Pohl - Research Fellow at European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) seconded by German Space Agency (DLR).
Reading
“European Defence Readiness 2030” - European Commission, March 19, 2025
“Press statement by President von der Leyen on the defence package” - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, March 3, 2025
“Survey in 9 European countries with Le Grand Continent: The Trump effect on European public opinion” - Cluster 17, March 25, 2025
“This launcher is about to displace the V-2 as Germany’s largest rocket” - Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, March 23, 2025
“ESA Strategy 2040” - European Space Agency, March 20, 2025
“European Launcher Challenge” - European Space Agency, March 24, 2025
“Saltzman Wants ‘Fundamental Shift’ in Space Force Budget” - Greg Hadley, Air & Space Forces Magazine, March 26, 2025
“U. S. Space Force (USSF) Certifies United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Missions” - Space Systems Command, March 26, 2025
“Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal” - Jeffrey Goldberg and Shane Harris, The Atlantic, March 26, 2025
“The Pentagon’s DEI purge: Officials describe a scramble to remove and then restore online content” - Lolita C. Baldor And Tara Copp, Associated Press, March 22, 2025
“There’s a right way to lift sanctions on Russia. Follow these Dos and Don’ts.” - Daniel Fried and Kimberly Donovan, Atlantic Council, March 26, 2025
Have a great week! I will be at Space Symposium. Hope to see you there!
Ad Astra!
Laura
